Travelling to the United Kingdom

Publicado em 20/07/2022 06h29 Atualizado em 21/07/2022 06h02

General information
Consular registration
Visa
Entry control
Passport
Travel insurance
Travel authorisation for minor children
Luggage
Document care

General information

Approximately 15 million passengers enter the United Kingdom per year. Out of this total, about 400 thousand are Brazilian.

There are a number of online channels where it is possible to obtain travel, itinerary, and attraction tips, as well as useful information about British traditions and habits.

However, it is important that Brazilians are aware that foreigners must respect the local laws and authorities, and may be punished according to the country's legislation.

Visiting websites and other private sources of information (travel guides, magazines, tips from friends, social media groups etc.) is not a substitute for carefully reading the instructions present on official British communication channels. Should you have any queries, contact the official channels below:

The role of the Consulate General is to guarantee that Brazilians are given proper and equal treatment, as the one bestowed on citizens of other nationalities, in conformity with the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

In this context, the Consulate has no legal prerogatives to intervene with the British authorities in favour of its nationals to seek privileged treatment, different from the one provided for by local legislation.

Consular registration

It is advisable to do the consular registration before travelling to the United Kingdom, even for short stays, for contact in eventual emergency cases or public disasters. Click here to register. It is simple and quick.

Visa

Brazilian citizens travelling to the United Kingdom for tourism or business purposes benefit from visa exemption for stays of up to 180 days. If travelling for other purposes (work, study, internship, volunteer work, family reunion, marriage etc.), the persons concerned must seek the advice of the British authorities to check whether they need a visa, as well as other requirements to enter or remain in the country:

As these issues concern British sovereignty, the Consulate has no legal prerogatives to assist Brazilian citizens with regards to entry and/or permanence in the United Kingdom. Any queries regarding these matters must be sent directly to the British government, either to the Home Office or to British consulates in Brazil:

As any other country, the United Kingdom is sovereign in permitting or refusing the entry of foreign nationals into its territory, even if the foreigner holds a valid visa. The Consulate General of Brazil in London has no legal prerogatives to interfere with the decision of British authorities (for further details, read the section entry refusal in the United Kingdom).

Entry control

Information regarding entry procedures in the United Kingdom are available on the British government's official website.

Before entering the country, Brazilian travellers receive a landing card in which they must inform their personal data and travel details. This card must be presented at border control in addition to the passport.

The immigration authorities will try to make sure the real purpose of the trip corresponds to the one declared (tourism, study etc.). In order to do so, agents usually ask travellers to present outbound tickets, proof of financial means to support themselves during their stay in the UK, hotel reservations, invitation letters from friends they will be staying with etc. Inconsistencies in the information provided or lack of supporting documents to prove the nature of the trip may result in entry refusal.

Click here for further information on refusal of entry in the United Kingdom.

Passport

Passports must be valid throughout the entire stay in the United Kingdom (read more). The document must remain in possession of its holder, who is responsible for keeping it in a safe place, not allowing it to be retained by third parties.

It is advisable that tourists travel around the UK in possession of original identity documents and a photocopy of their passports where they should write down relevant personal information (blood type, health insurance, medications they take etc.) and the details of their contacts in the United Kingdom and in Brazil (hotel, school, friends) who could be notified in case of emergency.

Click here to learn what to do in case your passport goes missing or is stolen in the United Kingdom. Click hereto apply for a new passport.

Before travelling to other countries in Europe, check the passport validity required by the country of destination. Countries member of the Schengen area, for example, require that passports be valid for at least three months from the planned date of departure (read more).

Travel insurance

Brazilians are advised to purchase international travel insurance before going to the United Kingdom.

There are a number of plans in the market that can cover expenses related to several kinds of incidents (hospital admission, pharmaceutical assistance, car accidents, luggage loss, transport of human remains etc.).

With respect to health insurance, it is important to stress that Brazilian tourists have no access to free of charge National Health System (NHS) assistance.

In case of emergency, the patient is entitled to receive only emergency care at public hospitals. From the moment the patient is admitted to the hospital, s/he is liable for all treatment costs incurred. Healthcare in the United Kingdom is quite costly and can lead to serious financial difficulties to travellers and their families.

Brazilians entering the United Kingdom with a visa (work, study etc.) must pay a fee to the British government in order to use the local public health system:

Visit ANVISA's website to access up-to-date guidelines to healthcare abroad.

Regarding cases of deceased Brazilians in the United Kingdom, it is important to bear in mind that there is no budget allocated for the Consulate to cover funeral expenses, issue documents, or repatriate human remains, cremation, transport of ashes, and funeral rites in general. If the Brazilian does not have travel insurance, such expenses shall have to be covered by the traveller's family (read more).

The Consulate cannot be held responsible for other private expenses such as hotel bookings, transportation, flight rescheduling etc., which must be covered by the travellers themselves or their families.

Travel authorisation for minor children

Presenting a travel authorisation is compulsory for Brazilian minor children leaving Brazil unaccompanied, in the company of only one of the parents, or in the company of a third party.

The authorisation is mandatory even if the minor child lives abroad, holds other nationalities or is travelling under a foreign passport.

The authorisation is also required in case of Brazilian nationals' children born abroad who have not been registered at a consular representation yet (read more).

Luggage

It is advisable to keep credit cards, cash, documents, valuable items and basic toiletries in your hand luggage.

Prescribed medication must accompany medical prescriptions, preferably translated into English.

Never, under any circumstances, should anyone carry an unknown person's luggage.

Information regarding entry of goods, currency and other assets are available on official websites of the British government:

Document care

Accounts of theft and/or robbery in the United Kingdom are not uncommon; therefore, travellers are advised to take good care of their documents and belongings.

Hand photocopies of your documents (passport, health insurance etc.) and your travel plans (itinerary, hotel details, ticket information etc.) to trusted persons in Brazil and the United Kingdom. Take note of credit card numbers in a safe place and keep your bank manager's contact details accessible, so that it's easier to block cards in case you get robbed. Keep digital copies of these documents, these copies can be very useful in the absence of the original documents.

Keep your belongings with you at all times, especially in busy places, and do not leave them open or unattended. Avoid placing all documents, cards, cash, and valuable items in a single bag or pocket.

Travel with certified copies of your birth or marriage certificate and identity card, as well as with a photocopy of your passport. You will need them in case it is necessary to apply for a new travel document.

In case Brazilian documents are stolen, lost, misplaced, retained etc., it is advisable to make an online police report (read more).